A Merry Band of Misfits
by Crowley For King
Summary: When Sam and Dean seek outside help to take down an elusive alpha, they run into their favorite angel a year after Dean told him to leave in a fit of misguided anger, and now that Dean has Cas back he's reluctant to let him go.


Dean threw his father's journal down on top of a stack of loose papers, sending some fluttering to the floor, and rubbed his hands over his face roughly.

"So. What the hell do we do now?" He asked his brother, voice scratchy from lack of use. They'd been researching and watching and waiting for days and lack of any new developments had left them with very little to say and too much to think about. His voice reflected his frustration with the pile of dead ends before them and he didn't bother trying to hide it.

Without even slowing his fingers as they danced across the keyboard of his laptop, Sam pushed a sigh through his nose in the way that let Dean know he was entering stage one of four in annoyance.

"Dean, I know you're frustrated-" He couldn't help rolling his eyes. "-but we're kind of out of options here."

"We've never been out of options before-"

"Well there's a first time for everything."

"Come on, Sam..."

That finally made the kid look away from his damn computer and the slight scrunching of the space between his eyebrows told Dean he'd just slid into stage two.

"Dean! I'm not hiding some secret plan up my sleeve. This alpha is just too well protected. We can't get him, ok? What else do you want me to say?"

He pushed himself to his feet and they carried him back and forth across the room restlessly, annoyance and frustration making his muscles hum with uncomfortable tingles of built up energy. As he paced, he became aware of a heavy silence buzzing between them like angry bees, or maybe it was just the shitty air conditioner stuck in the window, that was growing between them but a glance over his shoulder found his brother once again engrossed in whatever the hell he was doing on his laptop, dead to the world around him. So, perhaps it was just Dean who's skin was suddenly feeling itchy. He scratched at his arm absently, trying to will his brain to stop racing and his muscles to stop twitching.

A half second after he decided he wanted to kick something, his cell phone, sitting innocently atop the sheets of his untouched bed, blared shrilly, shattering the silence and making Sam nearly jump right out of his skin. In any other circumstance, that would have made Dean laugh, but right now, he could do nothing more than lunge for the phone.

"Hello?!" He did not sound desperate. Nope.

"Dean. It's Cassey calling you back."

In no mood for pleasantries, Dean skips the how-do-you-dos and asked, "You got any leads?"

"Nah, but I know a guy who might be able to help."

Dean moved quickly to scribble the name and address on the corner of the newspaper; from the looks of it this guy lived in the middle of nowhere just outside Gypsum, Colorado, "This guy got a number?"

"Just go knock on his door. He doesn't like phone calls."

He frowned. That sounded sketchy as fuck. "You sure about this?"

"Trust me, this guy is good and he's got a team of the best working with him. They all sort of...live together."

"Like in the same house?"

"Yeah, he sort of takes them in, trains 'em up, you know? He's a good guy man, trust me."

"Alright, thanks." He snapped the phone shut and turned to Sam to relay the information. After a brief argument, they agreed to leave for Gypsum in the morning and they both went to their respective beds to get some sleep.

It was a cool morning, considering it was only early October, when they set out. The sun was barely peeking over the tops of the trees, it's pale morning rays making the fine coating of water droplets that blanketed everything sparkle like crystals if you looked at it just right.

The chilly, damp air was refreshing when it filled his lungs and prickled his skin, waking him up in a way that was much more effective and pleasant than the artificial energy that coffee provided, which, judging by Sam's unhappy expression, they'd be stopping for at the first opportunity.

The drive to Gypsum was long and boring, and frustrating when they had to follow a tractor that refused to pull over for a ten mile stretch.

When they finally reached the general vicinity of the vague address, Sam perked up in his seat and the two of them began watching closely for what Cassey had described as 'a mangled dirt road mostly obscured by brush and over growth exactly point seven miles past the big rock that looks like a sleeping dinosaur'.

"Best directions ever, by the way." Sam remarked with barely concealed contempt.

"Shut up."

When they finally found it, or if he was more honest, when they sailed past it and Sam screamed at him to stop, they realized that Cassey hadn't been kidding when he said 'mangled and obscured'. Tree branches scrapped along the windows and roof of the car, making Dean scowl and at one point the front left wheel dropped roughly into a huge pot hole with an alarming bang.

"Would it kill the guy to throw some gravel in these damn holes?!"

When they finally rolled into a large clearing in the trees, in the middle of which sat a big, odd looking house that was laid out in a sprawl; it looked as if it was constantly being added to with whatever materials could be found, one side of the house pushed right up against the tree line like they'd simply run out of room. On the left side of the house a garage of sorts had been built, though it was comprised of only two walls, one of which was shared with the side of the house. It was large enough to fit two or three cars but right now Dean could see only an old range rover and a dirt bike inside.

He parked the car and stepped out into silence and stillness, looking over at Sam. "Where is everyone? Cassey said there's like ten people living here."

Sam shrugged, looking a little spooked, eyes darting around the clearing. "Maybe-"

He never got to finish as just then they both turned at the sound of the front door squeaking open on rusty hinges. A man stood in the doorway in dirty jeans and a tight black tshirt, his militant buzz cut had some grey at the temples and his face was as hard and weathered as an old tree trunk.

Dean's eyes instinctively snapped to his hands, one was hanging loosely at his side, nonthreatening, but the other was hidden carefully behind the door frame, keeping his hand out of sight to no doubt conceal the weapon he was surely holding.

A tense silence surged between them; even the birds stopped singing. He could feel the little hairs on his arms rising and goosebumps spread across his skin.

"Can I help you, gentlemen?" The tank of a man asked at length in a voice just as rough as his face.

"Uh, yeah. We're uh, we're looking for Brian?" Dean glanced over at Sam. "Cassey sent us."

"Did he now?" The man shifted his concealed arm. "What for?"

"Well we've got an alpha problem and we heard that a team of the best lived here under one roof."

"You found an alpha?" The man was sizing them up and finally, when Dean felt like his skin was starting to itch under the scrutinizing and calculating stare, he appeared to come to some kind of internal decision and stepped aside, bringing his arm out from behind the door and using it to welcome them in. "Come on in."

The brothers eyed the shot gun held so casually in the stranger's hand and did not move and Dean smiled politely. "So...is Brian here?"

The large man looked mildly irritated and dropped his welcoming shotgun wielding arm back to his side. "_I'm_ Brian."

"So can I get you a beer? Er..."

"Dean. This is Sam."

Brian froze, a flash of recognition passed darkly through his eyes and Dean felt himself tense.

"The Winchesters." His tone was weighted; careful. "I've heard about you two."

He plastered on a fake smile, regretful of his decision to follow Brian into the house so soon. He trusted Cassey, but he couldn't know how long it had been since the two had last seen each other and besides, Dean knew better than anyone that just because someone was a good friend one day didn't mean they couldn't be your enemy the day after. "Good things I hope."

He found himself of the receiving end of an unreadable look. "Here's your beer."

Sam cleared his throat awkwardly and looked down into the bottle in his hand as if it might bite his tongue off should he take a swig. "So where is everyone? Cassey said you had a team of people living here."

"They're on a supply run." Brian scratched at the stubble on his chin absentmindedly, "Slash nest cleaning. They should be back soon, they left at dawn. Maybe we should wait for them to get back, they'll likely want in on the action." A sudden thought seemed to come to him then and his face hardened. "Y'all aren't prejudice are you?"

The atmosphere had suddenly changed with Brian's question; like he'd let go of whatever terrible stories he'd likely heard containing the name 'Winchester' and the air in the large kitchen had become much less oppressive. The brothers tentatively followed Brian's lead when the man sat down at the table.

"Uh, what do you mean?"

"My team...we've got a colourful collection. That won't be a problem will it?"

"Depends on what you mean by colourful."

"An amazon, a vampire, a witch and two angels." Brian's gaze was steel now, daring them to voice any prejudices they may have, because he surely knew they had them. "That a problem for you boys?"

Dean was thrown and blinked rapidly, "Uh, no...we – a witch, really? - I mean yeah, it's cool. We're cool."

Brian was nodding slowly. "Good. Now, tell me about your alpha and we'll decide how many people we'll need to take him out."

He'd been about to delve into the long and frustrating tale of their elusive quarry when the distant sound of tires tearing recklessly down the long and crater ridden driveway gave him pause.

"Oh. They're back." Brian propped his boots up on the table and took a swig of his beer.

They heard the vehicle skidding to a halt on the loose gravel followed by raucous laughter and shouts. Soon after, a woman came stomping into the kitchen then and she was at least as tall as Sam and built like she might be able to best him in a fight. Three others trailed in behind here, two men and another woman. They were all filthy, with streaks of blood and soot coating their faces and arms in messy streaks and it was easy to tell that whatever they'd done, there had been lots of fire involved.

"How'd it go?" Brian boomed from the end of the table in order to be heard over the group of four who were loudly uncapping beers, laughing and jostling each other.

The amazon turned vibrant blue eyes on their leader, their bright colour popping even more against the dark backdrop of her soot streaked face. and it was only then that the group froze and four sets of eyes roamed over Dean and his brother.

"Good!" She answered, eyes darting uncertainly between Brian and the brothers. "Great, actually. It was a little touch and go at first, Miles took a blow to the head but Az healed him right up."

"And then you burnt down the nest?" Brian quipped, gesturing pointedly the the state of their hygiene.

"Nope." One of the men spoke for the first time, a large grin on his dirty face, "Fin lit the place up, though he might have been a bit too enthusiastic about it." He swiped a finger down his cheek and looked at the grime he'd scraped off.

They all grinned and took swigs of their beers but Brain sat up in his chair with a deep frown. "He fried them? He alright?"

The man grinned again, "Yeah, he's getting stronger, I think. Seems fine. He's actually out working on the rover. Want me to get him?"

Dean felt coldness sweep through his stomach when Brian briefly glanced at him and Sam and hastily said, "No, no, I'll talk to him in a bit."

The group filed out of the door leading to a vast back yard hedged in by the ancient trees, leaving Brian and the brothers alone again and leaving Dean a little confused.

"I thought you wanted your team in on this too." The elder hunter asked.

Brian glanced over his shoulder to make sure the group had moved beyond where they could be overheard and leaned forward, elbows on the table and gaze trained on his beer bottle. "Yeah, look boys, there's something you ought to know-"

As Brian looked up to the boys, a heavy weight in his gaze, the sound of booted feet on the wooden planks of the floor interrupted them loudly, the owner clearly angry about something as he stomped into the kitchen.

When he looked around at the source of the noise, Dean's jaw dropped.

Castiel had just stormed into the kitchen in a grease and dirt stained white tshirt that was tight around his muscular arms and equally dirty jeans. His face looked like he'd halfheartedly made an attempt to wipe it clean with a damp rag and his hair was sticking up like he'd run his hands through it a hundred times in frustration.

He held some greasy piece of equipment in one of his hands and a deep scowl on his face.

The angel didn't look over at them and walked to the sink, thrusting the piece in his hand under the stream of water, scrubbing at it's grimy surface with equally grimy fingers.

"Problem, Cas?" Brian asked, snapping Dean out of his revere.

The angel kept his back to the room, shoulders shifting as he scrubbed angrily at the thing in his hands. "That piece of junk you refuse to get rid of is my problem."

Dean wanted to say something, he really did, he even opened his mouth to do so but no sound escaped his constricted throat. Over a year had passed since he'd last heard Cas' gravely voice. Over a year since he'd told Cas to leave in a fit of anger.

And now, here he was and Dean was so blindsided and his head was so blank that he couldn't even move.

After a moment of nothing but the sound of running water, Dean managed to take control of his head and looked over at his brother for some kind of guidance. Unfortunately though, Sam seemed to be in a similar state beside him, mouth shamelessly agape while he stared at the back of Castiel's messy head.

"What's wrong with it now?" Brian asked and Dean could see from his peripheral vision that he was staring at him and Sam, not Cas, and he started to sweat.

"What _isn't_ wrong with that piece of-" Cas had whirled around, water and grease spraying through the air as he gesticulated angrily, likely ready to launch in to a full blown verbal assault on the object of his frustration, but when his blue eyes landed on Dean and Sam, the anger drained from his face and the words died on his tongue.

The trio starred at each other, open mouthed and stupidly, and Brian took another swig of his beer.

"Hey Castiel." Sam managed to squeeze out eventually, causing the angel's eyes to snap over and focus on him, allowing Dean to finally release the breath he'd been holding.

"Sam...I...what are you..." Cas floundered in an uncharacteristic display of uncertainty and glanced over at Brian for some sort of hint as to what the hell was going on. But the man remained unhelpfully silent and Cas' eyes found Dean again, hardening into that cold blank mask Dean remembered from long ago. "What are you doing here?"

"Alpha." Dean blurted dumbly, wincing slightly when the word escaped his mouth a little too loudly.

He watched as Cas' eyebrows rose slightly, a little unnerved at how...human the movement was, and then became aware of his brother fidgeting with the hem of his shirt and of Brian's eyes boring a hole into the side of his face.

"Man this is awkward." He mumbled, looking down at his hands.

Cas said nothing else and merely left the kitchen, giving Sam's shoulder a squeeze as he walked by.

Once the angel was gone, Brian cleared his throat, "So. Glad you boys got that out of the way. And I was worried it would be awkward." He sucked back the last of his beer.

"How did you know that we knew each other?" Dean asked at once, not at all liking the fact that this stranger knew something so personal about him.

"Cas told me. That's part of the deal if you want to join our merry band of misfits. We get the whole story. No secrets." His gaze settled on Dean, eyes glinting, "He told me what you did."

"Yeah, I really don't want to get into this right now." Dean said, his chest in a vice.

"Dean we don't normally get seconds chances like this. You shouldn't-"

"Sam, don't push it."

His brother's face turned angry. "Are you kidding me? After everything we've learned over the last year you're still going to-"

"Drop it, Sam!"

His brother stood up furiously, chair skittering backwards across the floor, and stormed out after Cas without a word.

"Not that this is any of my business," Brian pipped up conversationally, "But Cas is one of the strongest fighters we've got. It may be in your best interest to patch things up if you're serious about taking down this alpha."

Dean rubbed a hand down his face, suddenly tired. "Look, it's not that easy, ok?"

"I think it's a hell of a lot easier than you're making it. Look kid, I don't know the gritty details of what happened between you two so I try not to judge, all I know is when I found that boy he was in rough shape...and I don't mean physically."

The hunter felt his chest tighten further and he pushed himself to his feet. Sam and Brian were right, though he wasn't going to say that out loud to either of them, and he'd be lying if he hadn't been wallowing in guilt for the last six months. Here he had the chance to make it all right again and he was going to pass it up because he couldn't admit that he'd been wrong and apologize to Cas?

A determined muscle jumped in his jaw and he squared his shoulders like a man marching to his doom.

He found Cas in the spacious garage, bent over at the waist with his head buried under the propped open hood of the range rover and struggling to reach something, only the toe of one boot touching the ground as he leaned into the eviscerated vehicle.

Sam was leaning against the wall smirking as he watched the shorter man struggle.

"You know," Cas' gravely voice echoed in a rumble from within the gutted jeep, "You could make yourself useful instead of laughing at me."

"You're right." Sam agreed, "I could."

So apparently Sam had gotten the angel talking, although Cas really had no reason to be upset with Sam.

Cas straightened and wiped his hands pointlessly on a blackened rag and then spotted Dean, his hands stilling.

Being under the weight of that blue eyed gaze for the first time in over a year made Dean's palms sweaty and he absently wiped them on his jeans, unable to look away. Time may have changed Cas' mannerisms into something a little less angelic and a little more human, but it had done nothing to dull the intensity of his stare.

Sam excused himself so quietly that Dean barely heard.

"Look, Cas..." The hunter began lamely, toeing the dirt with his shoe and stuffing his hands in his pockets. He broke their staring contest, like always, and scratched at the back of his head. Ten seconds ago he'd been full of confidence in his ability to right this wrong but now that he was actually facing the task his head seemed to have emptied itself of any and all useful words. "I don't know what to say."

Cas shrugged and looked away, neither seeming surprised nor disappointed at Dean's words, like he'd expected as much from the emotionally constipated hunter, and tossed the rag over the edge of the open hood. "I don't think there is much to say. After all. the last time we spoke, you talked for a _very_ long time."

He stared at the angel, throat constricted. When Cas looked away again and turned back towards the car, Dean felt like something was slipping through his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Cas." He said, voice rough and mangled with the sudden and unexpected appearance of several emotions at once.

The angel froze and a spark of hope flared in his chest, outshining everything else the apology had hauled to the surface of his psyche. He pushed on, feeling more confident.

"I'm so, so sorry, man. In the last six months me and Sammy, we've gotten the right story. We got the truth about what happened."

The angel had turned back to face him, impassive. Blank. Looking all the world like an emotionless angel. Only Dean knew that wasn't true.

"I'm sorry that I didn't listen to you. I should have trusted you."

Another beat of the blank stare and then Cas' face relaxed and a sigh eased itself past his lips and Dean felt like he could breath again.

"You had every reason to mistrust me. After purgatory-"

"I get that, man. I understand why you stayed behind, I do. That never bothered me Cas, I just-" he stopped, unable to find the right words. "I was wrong. I shouldn't have said those things to you, man. I was way out of line and I've been kicking myself ever since." Here he paused, wishing Cas would look at him. "I missed you, buddy. I – I prayed to you."

Cas' head snapped up at his last words, blue eyes wide. "You did?" He sounded surprised at the admission.

"Yeah, didn't you hear me?"

Cas looked remorseful. "No I...turned that off. Blocked it out. I wanted nothing to do with...any of that and I didn't think anyone would be trying to reach me that way anyway."

Another wave of guilt washed over him with the new information and he, once again, was forced to admit that he'd been wrong and Cas had not let him down like he'd thought. Maybe if he'd tried a little harder, or simply _listened_, he'd have come to that realization a lot sooner and saved everyone the trouble. He'd been so angry at the time, when he'd spend every night praying, pleading, begging to the angel; pouring his heart and soul into his words in the hopes that Cas might give him another chance or at least understand how sorry he was. And now he finds out that Cas hadn't heard any of it. Hadn't know of Dean's remorse until seconds ago. Cas had been living with the pain of Dean's rejection all this time, completely oblivious.

A not uncomfortable silence fell between them and Dean took a moment to look at Castiel while the angel busied himself with something just inside the hood of the rover. He'd lost weight but gained muscle and his hair looked a little shorter; his skin tanned gold by the sun.

"I missed you too." The angel said suddenly like he was confessing a sin, twisting the dirty rag in his hands again.

The hunter felt a smile stretch his face and he scratched the side of his nose, feeling giddy with the success of his apology. He took a few steps over to the rover, peering down into the gaping hole where the engine should have been. "So when did you become a mechanic?"

The angel shrugged noncommittally. "Not sure. Sometime after I got here. Brian taught me the fundamentals and I've been...experimenting my way through this pile of scrap metal for the last four months." He gave the tire a hateful kick. "Brian says I have a 'knack' for it." He sighed. "At some point the job fell to me to try and repair any of the vehicles. How have you and Sam been?"

Dean nodded, bracing his hands on the edge of the car. "Good. We've been sticking to mostly low key stuff. You know, vamps, salt and burns, wedigos. Nothing too heavy." He shook his head, "But we've been trying to track down this alpha for like a month with no luck. A guy I know gave us Brian's address. Said his team was the best so...here we are."

A brief smile from Cas lifted Dean's hopes.

"Hey Fin, we're going to the lake. You coming?" Said a disembodied head poking around the wall of the garage that Dean did not recognize.

"Right behind you." Cas turned to Dean, "You and Sam want to come?"

The three of them walked unhurried through the forest with Cas as their guide. The angel had kicked off his shoes before they'd even left the garage and he walked barefoot over the soft moss carpeting the forest floor, blue eyes trained upward, gazing at the canopy of trees over their heads as if mesmerized by something beautiful.

With the sunlight filtering through the ancient trees in scattered beams, some of which periodically fell across Cas' upturned face as he walked and briefly bathed it in bright light that made his eyes pale and skin glow, Dean found himself thinking that Cas looked every bit the beautiful, angelic creature that he was. He seemed to have a place here amongst the giant trees, whose trunks towered over them; strong, ancient and unmovable.

"So," He cleared his throat, feeling a little embarrassed at his own thoughts, "Cas, why do they call you Fin?"

The angel smiled gently. "It is a nickname that Miles gave me when I started living here with them. He likes to give everyone nicknames. He told me Fin is short for Finlay, which is Gaelic for 'fair warrior'"

He saw that the soft smile had not left Cas' face and wondered if there was more to the story than Cas was letting on.

With Cas leading the way through the woods they came to the lake in too short a time in Dean's opinion.

"Whoa!" Exclaimed Sam, already pulling his shirt over his head. "This is beautiful!"

Dean looked around the small beach, seeing a wharf jutting out into the water on which six or seven people were fighting for a spot to sun bathe. Sam tore past him at a sprint, chucking his short over his shoulder as he ran, and launched himself off the end of the wharf, splashing everyone with water. After the initial shocked and outraged cries and curses, one by one, they actually got up and happily followed him into the lake.

Looking around for Cas, Dean realized the man had disappeared. He shrugged and pulled off his shirt and toed off his shoes and was soon shoving Sam's head under the water whilst he laughed.

When the younger surfaced for air he knocked his brother's hands away, spluttering and rubbing at his eyes. Dean allowed him a brief reprieve to blink his vision into clarity again and Sam focused on Dean's shit eating grin, his mouth opened like he was about to start yelling at his brother but instead his eyes flicked up over his head and his jaw went slack and the only word Dean could use to describe the look on his brother's face was _awestruck_.

He followed Sam's gaze and nearly went under, forgetting to keep his arms and legs moving.

Castiel stood atop a high outcropping of rock that jutted from the trees some thirty feet above the water, his toes likely curling over the sharp edge. His dirty shirt had been discarded as well but that wasn't what had Dean gaping like an idiot. From Cas' back sprouted two huge, magnificent white wings and it took a moment for Dean's brain to process what he was looking at.

Even from this far away, Dean could see Cas close his eyes and tilt his face to the sun, a gust of wind ruffling his hair and feathers. Suddenly the wings stretched outward, trying to catch the breeze, the feathers fanning out and reflecting sunlight with blinding intensity.

The angel backed up a few paces and his wings flexed, the tips straining to reach as far as possible, like they hadn't been free to do so in centuries and Dean had the sudden thought that perhaps they hadn't. And then the angel was running forward and he leapt off the edge of the cliff. He was free falling through the air for a fraction of a second and then his huge wings swooped down in a single, powerful beat and the force of it propelled him upwards, forty, fifty, sixty, one hundred feet into the air before his wings flattened down against his back, the tips reaching past his feet, and the angel was plummeting towards the water and Dean was reminded of a diving swallow.

Cas hit the water with barely a splash, disappearing beneath the surface. After a few long moments Dean began to worry and climbed up onto the wharf, looking over the surface of the lake.

Sam was still treading water, but his big brown eyes were now looking up at his brother with that look on his face like he thought Dean was being particularly dense about something. "Dude, I'm at least one hundred percent sure that angels don't need to breath."

A flicker of something in the water beside the wharf pulled his gaze downward and kept him from snapping at Sam to shut up. His eyes focused on the movement under the water just in time to see a pair of feet disappearing beneath the wood and he looked to the other side, a huge grin split his face. "Oh, awesome!"

Cas was just under the surface, so close that the water bulged smoothly outward around him as he passed, and was using his wings to propel himself along the edge of the wharf and Dean followed along side him until he came to the edge and jumped off.

Under the water he opened his eyes and could make out a blurry beige and white blob that he assumed was Cas. He blinked a few times, trying to get his eyes to focus more clearly when quite suddenly he was able to see perfectly clear, like someone had put magic goggles over his eyeballs.

The angel was grinning at him, no doubt working some mojo so he could see. Cas drifted downward until he was kneeling in the sand at the bottom of the lake, his hair and feathers swaying slowly in the gentle current of the water.

When the burn in his lungs became too urgent to ignore, Dean stuck his head above the water for a gulp of air. When he submerged again he nearly drown himself laughing.

Cas had flipped himself over and hung, suspended, upside down, nose to nose with a curious trout. He slowly raised his hand, a finger extended in greeting, but the trout sped away a few feet before turning back around to study the curiosity that was Castiel from a safe distance.

The angel rolled over so his stomach was parallel with the bottom, wings spiralling loosely around him momentarily, and then lazily followed the trout around as it swam warily ahead of him.

When Dean surfaced for air again Sam was swimming over to him. "Man, Cas hit me with some mojo and I can see perfectly!" His brother exclaimed like an excited five year old.

"Yeah he hit me with the same thing."

"I can't believe how clear the water is!"

"Dude, calm down..."

"Where is Cas anyway?" Sam steamrollered with his questions, not even hearing his brother.

"Uh, chasing some fish last I saw."

Sam snorted with laughter and filled his huge lungs with air before diving below the surface. Almost immediately he felt Sam's hand around his ankle and he held his breath as he was yanked down.

Under the water Sam was pointing and Dean looked down.

Cas was back and sitting cross-legged on the bottom and an entire school of trout was circling him. There must have been fifty fish swarming around him in an oddly organized circle; a wide grin was splitting his face and Dean was sure that if they weren't under water he'd be able to hear the angel laughing.

He watched until he began to feel lightheaded, surfacing long before his giant of a brother needed to, and headed back to the beach, hearing Sam splashing along behind him like a manatee. Several people had already claimed spots on the sun bathed strip of sand and, once they'd shared introductions, the brothers joined their circle and Dean's eyes quickly wandered back over to the water, just in time to see Cas haul himself up onto the wharf, wings drooping under the weight of the water they'd absorbed.

As he walked down the length of it his wings suddenly flared dramatically, the force of it like a whip cracking like gunfire, and a great spray of water rose into the air, making small rainbows glitter in his wake and his wings were instantly fluffier.

When Cas reached their little group on the beach he unceremoniously dropped to his knees and then to his stomach, resting his head on his folded arms and fanning his wings out to either side of him with a contended sigh.

"I didn't know angels liked to sun bath." Dean quipped, making everyone chuckle.

Cas wriggled down further into the warm sand. "Me either."

That night Dean and Sam told everyone about the alpha they were trying to track down. Everyone was crammed into the kitchen; around the table, on the counter, leaning against walls. Quiet. Attentive.

When the brothers had finished they all leaned back, looking around at one another as plans started formulating.

Brian spoke up first and all eyes turned to him.

"Alright, we need to put out some feelers. You said the last trail had tapered off in Roseburg, you four," He pointed to amazon and the three that happened to be standing beside her. "Go there now and see if you can turn up anything else. Mike and Sarah, you two go talk to James. If anyone's heard anything about an alpha within three states any direction it'll be that idiot." He turned to Cas, "Angel boy, you head in to town and talk to Martin, see if he's heard anything."

He delegated a few more tasks to a few more people and then everyone scattered.

"We're coming with you." Dean said as he and Sam followed behind Cas to the garage.

The angel threw a grin over his shoulder at the brothers. "Are you?" He shoved his bare feet into his boots. "You're driving then."

The three of them piled into the impala and it was like they had never left.

"Whats with the grin dude?" Sam asked.

Dean hadn't even realized he'd been smiling. "Come on Sammy! We're back on the hunt for this SOB, we got a team helping us out. It's a beautiful day! Why shouldn't I be smiling?"

"Whatever. It's creepy seeing you in such a good mood."

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

A moment of silence passed and then Dean glanced in the rear view. "So Cas, whose this guy we're going to talk to?"

"He's irritating and stupid and loves to poke his nose into things that are none of his business and as such he knows a lot of things he shouldn't. Apparently several years ago Brian saved him from being bitten by a werewolf and they've had this agreement ever since."

"Huh. So let me ask you something Cas." Dean said hesitantly, drawing the attention of both passengers. "How come you've never shown your wings like that before?"

Cas immediately looked uncomfortable and Dean regretted asking the question.

"My wings are an extension of my grace." The angel replied, sounding uncharacteristically timid. "It can be dangerous to have them out. If they are injured it takes a long time for them to heal. Before I found Brian and the others there was no place I felt safe enough to stretch them."

"Makes sense." Dean said with a nod. "Well they were friggin beautiful." He glanced in the mirror in time to see Cas blush furiously and duck his head and couldn't help taunting a little. "Whoa, I didn't know angels could turn that particular shade of red!"

"Shut up."

"Look, it's going all the way down your neck."

"Dean, I swear to-"

"Watch the blasphemy there, angel."

Cas glared at the back of Dean's head. "You're incredibly irritating, do you know that?"

"I make up for it with good looks."

Cas rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat.

Dean caught a smirk on his brother's face and did a double take, his own grin slipping, "What?"

"Nothing, nothing..."

An hour and a half later, when they finally pulled into town, the sun was sinking quickly toward the tree tops and the orange glow of street lamps was lighting their way down the main street.

"So where is this guy?" Dean asked, noting that the small town already seemed to be shutting down for the night. A short, fat man was arguing with the clearly faulty lock on the door to his shop as they drove by.

"Take a right at those lights and then your first left."

Eventually Cas called a halt outside a pawn shop.

"An informant that lives in and owns a dirty pawn shop? What are we, in a gangster movie?"

Turns out the pawn shop was actually pretty clean and Dean admired a nice looking watch while Cas convinced (threatened) the boy at the counter to get his boss. The man himself came stumbling out from behind a curtain with a heavy scowl on his face.

"What-" His beady eyes fell on Cas, "Oh...it's you."

"Brian needs some information." Cas said, clearly name dropping. It seemed to work and the man straightened visibly. "We're looking for an alpha."

Dean frowned when he saw the man's eyes narrow almost imperceptibly and his face slackened; not with understanding but as if he were struck with a sudden idea.

"An alpha? Can't say I've heard anything. Hang on, though!" He pulled a scrap piece of paper towards him and scribbled an address on it. "Try this guy, Carlos. He may know something."

Cas took the paper and the three of them left. While Sam and Cas chattered quietly about what their next course of action should be, Dean remained silent, trying to put a finger on why he'd gotten such a bad vibe from Martin.

Once they were all settled in the car again, he shook his head, staring straight ahead. "That guy was sketchy, man. I don't like it."

"He was a pawnshop owner." Sam deadpanned.

The older hunter but his lip uncertainly and started the engine. "Maybe we should call for backup."

Cas just stared at him but his brother scoffed. "Seriously? Dude, you're getting paranoid."

After a brief argument between the brothers in which Cas sat back and observed it like a tennis match, they were on their way to go see Carlos. It was an old farmhouse on the outskirts of town and when they got there the windows were dark and the door had been left ajar.

Now it was Cas who hesitated, hanging back as the two brothers moved to the door cautiously. "Perhaps Dean is right. This feels wrong."

"You think someone got to Carlos?" Sam asked. He pushed the door open and peered into the dark house but his feet remained firmly planted outside the door.

Suddenly someone screamed from inside the house.

"HELP ME! PLEASE!"

The trio rushed in, Dean and Sam both drawing their guns and Ruby's knife.

"Where'd it come from?" Dean hissed in the sudden silence.

Something hit him hard in the back of the head and he went down. As darkness began creeping into the corners of his vision he saw a figure coming up behind Sam while his brother's attention was focused on him and his last thought was where the hell was Cas?

"...Dean...Dean!"

The hunter peeled his eyes open, ignored the throb in the back of his skull with practised ease and patiently waited for his vision to clear. Once it had he focused on Sam's worried face.

"Dean – can you get free?"

It was at this point that he realized he was sitting up, tied to a chair, much the same position as Sam was in across from him. He tugged uselessly at his unyielding bonds. "No. What the hell happened?!" There was blood in his mouth.

"They did something to Cas!"

"What?!" Dean snapped, looking around. He found Cas lying on the floor, seemingly unconscious. He'd been stripped of everything but Jimmy's black slacks and a black strip of leather had been placed around his neck and both wrists like a collar and shackles.

"The hell are those?!"

"I don't know, but they have carvings on them, like sigils, and they were chanting something when they put them on Cas and he just collapsed. Dean, I'm pretty sure it was Enochian." Sam explained gravely.

"Dammit. Cas! Cas! Wake up!"

The angel's brow furrowed with the sudden onset of consciousness and he groaned.

"Cas, hey you ok?" Sam asked.

When the angel's eyes opened, a faint blue glow was shinning through them and his breathing became laboured.

"Cas, answer me, man, come on!" Sam called but the angel did not respond.

"Don't worry," Said a man who suddenly walked into the room, pulling on black leather gloves with a small smile, "It's just a little spell to keep that pesky grace of his under control."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Oh, I'm Carlos. Pleased to meet you both." Carlos was tall, with long, sleek black hair pulled back into a pony tail.

"I knew that guy was sketchy!" Dean snarled to no one in particular, anger surging within him at the realization that if he'd listened to his instincts they wouldn't be in this mess.

"Well, Martin is usually good for his word but, see, he sort of owed me this favour." Carlos explained, his dark eyes trained on the angel at his feet with an intensity that made Dean's stomach churn.

"Favour?" Sam asked, swallowing.

Carlos smiled nastily, looking up briefly to meet Sam's gaze. "Don't worry, I'm not interested in you two." He looked back down at Cas. "Do you know how rare and how valuable angel feathers are?"

Dean pulled viciously at his bonds, "If you touch him I swear to God-"

"Haven't you heard? He's not listening!"

Two more men marched into the room and Carlos turned away from them and stood by Cas' head, the other two, nameless men stood at his feet, and Dean felt his heart clench when Cas' glowing eyes stared up at the ceiling in dazed confusion, helpless, chest heaving under the strength of the magical bindings.

When the three men began to chant, Cas gave a start and rolled onto his side, curling in on himself defensively like a wounded animal. His face contorted in pain, and he groaned low in his throat, hands clawing at the floorboard beneath him. "No..." he ground out, the blue light in his eye flaring into white.

"Don't fight it, angel." Carlos said, breaking the chant momentarily and looking down with a smirk.

When he picked it up again, the intensity seemed to have changed and suddenly Cas was screaming, his face pressed into the floor, fingers clawing at the wood beneath his fingers, crushing it to splinters, and Dean screwed his eyes shut against Cas' screams when the angelic voice behind it seeped past it's human vessel and shattered the windows and cracked the walls and ceiling.

When Cas suddenly went quiet Dean opened his eyes again to see two huge brilliant white wings folded tightly against his back and Dean realized that what they'd been chanting had ripped Cas wings from whatever plane of existence he kept them in for protection.

"There now, that wasn't so hard now was it?" Carlos taunted. He squatted down and gently carded his fingers through Cas' hair as the angel gasped for air deliriously. "Such beautiful creatures."

"GET YOUR FUCKING HANDS OFF HIM!" Dean roared, tugging so hard at his bonds that the legs of the chair clattered against the floor.

Carlos threw him a look. "Jealous, are you?" He stood and grabbed a plain wooden box off the table by the door and knelt down behind Cas. "Well, I'll soon be done with him."

One of the men knelt silently by Cas' head and the other by his feet and together they firmly held his ankles and wrists as Carlos dug his hands into Cas' wing without hesitation, the fingers disappearing into the white feathers.

Cas jerked beneath him, his eyes flaring white and he actually growled, teeth bared in a snarl.

"You like that, angel?" Carlos grinned sadistically. He paused in his ministrations to reach lower to where Cas' wings joined his vessel and made some kind of movement Dean could not see but had an immediate affect on Cas.

The angel's eyes flared white again and he cried out in shock at whatever Carlos had done, writhing in the hold of the two thugs pinning him to the floor.

"You see," The Carlos said, glancing up at Dean, "Once you take away that power they're just like any other creature. Animals is all they are, and just like mink and ivory, they have something valuable that us humans want. And when us humans want something, we take it."

His eyes lowered again and his hands moved expertly through the large, white feathers and it was then that Dean realized, belatedly, that this was not the first angel Carlos had done this to. This man was an expert, knew just what to do and where to touch to cause pain.

Dean felt like he might throw up and he looked helplessly over at Sam. His brother sat limply in his chair as he watched, eyes shinning with unshed tears. When Cas started struggling again, the two men threw their weight onto him and Carlos ripped out the first feather and placed it in the box carefully.

With each feather Cas' struggles seemed to weaken until the two men were merely holding his ankles and wrists. And when Dean counted the seventh feather the lights over their heads suddenly blew, raining glass over them.

Carlos looked up in alarm, hands stilling. "The hell was that?"

And then an unknown figure appeared behind him. Carlos' goons tried to warn him but their rescuer had already pulled his head back by his ponytail and cut his throat, spraying blood over the floor.

Before Carlos had even hit the ground, Brian and three more ran into the room and easily took out the other two and Dean was free and kneeling beside Cas seconds later.

"We gotta get these off him!" He snapped to anyone that was listening.

"Here. Move." Sam ordered, holing Ruby's knife.

He watched closely as his brother cut the leather chords on Cas' wrist and then, carefully, from his throat while the man who'd cut Carlos' throat kneeled and whispered something soothing in Enochian in Cas' ear.

"You're the other angel." Dean realized out loud.

"My name is Azreal." The angel said, not looking up.

When Cas' grace had stopped shinning through his eyes, Dean grabbed his hand. "Cas, you ok?"

No response.

Azreal was staring sadly at his brother.

"How did you know where we were?" Sam asked as Brian stomped back into the room, having made sure the house was clear of any other threats.

"Castiel prayed to me." Az answered sadly, one hand absently stroking the space between Cas' wings.

"What the hell did they do to him?" Dean asked, worry clouding his mind the longer Cas remained unresponsive.

"These," Azreal picked up the cut bonds with a look of utter disgust, "Have Enochian binding sigils carved into the leather. They suppress an angel's grace. It is painful and it weakens us for a time even after they are removed." He sighed heavily and gently ran his fingers through Cas' hair; a small frown settled on Cas' face at the movement.

"Azreal?" Cas whispered, his voice raw.

"Rest brother. You're safe now."

Apparently that was all Cas wanted to hear and his eyes slid closed, not even stirring when Brian came stomping angrily past them. "Alright, Az, we're ready."

The angel moved so he was kneeling behind Cas and scooped him up effortlessly.

Dean and Sam silently followed their rescuers out of the house to see a large van parked outside. They held the doors open while Az settled Cas on the floor in the back and told them they'd followed back in the impala.

The ride there was quiet until Dean suddenly slammed his hands against the steering wheel, making Sam jump.

"Dude." Sam accused and questioned with the single word.

"I should have listened to my instincts." The elder hunter exploded. Now that they were safe and that skeevy fucker was dead, the anger and fear he'd felt watching Cas being tortured had finally reached a boiling point.

"Dean, don't do this."

"Even Cas said we should get back up when we got there and what do I do? Barge in at the first sign of trouble like a rookie!"

"He's gonna be fine Dean!" Sam cried, not understanding why his brother was so upset. "You heard what Az said. He might need to rest for a few days but-"

"That's not-" Dean started to cut off his brother but then seemed to rethink his words.

"Not _what_?"

Should he admit what had really been bothering him? As much as he hated discussing anything that made him look, for lack of a better word, emotionally weak, the few times he'd confided in his little brother in the past, Sam had been nothing less than completely understanding and usually had helpful advice to give. So, with a white knuckled grip on the steering wheel, Dean decided to explain. "You remember when Cas said the reason he never showed us his wings before is because he never felt safe enough?"

His little brother blinked slowly, "That's not how I remember him phrasing it. He said he never showed his wings because until he'd teamed up with Brian he'd never had a safe place to do it." Sam gave him a sidelong look. "He never specifically refereed to _us._"

"It's the same thing! He might as well have said '_you two attract trouble like flies to shit_' and-"

"So you think Cas was scared to show us his wings because he'd end up getting hurt or do you think he chose not to show them because we were always in some shitty motel room or at Bobby's or-"

"_No_, I think that-"

"Oh my god, you're worried it's because Cas doesn't trust you."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

A heavy silence swelled between them in which Sam stared at his brother's profile like he was a difficult math problem to solve and Dean was fervently wishing he hadn't said anything at all.

"It upsets you," Sam said at length, "that Cas might not have trusted you as much as you trusted him."

"It doesn't _upset_ me-"

"Right."

"Sam-"

"Dean, for the love of God, could you please, just this once, cut the crap and talk to me? You know when it comes to Cas you've got a blind spot."

"What? What's that supposed to mean?"

Sam gave him that look that made Dean realize he was missing something obvious. "What?" He asked again, feeling annoyed.

"Dude...come on..." At Dean's clueless look, Sam tried to prompt him more without actually saying the words. "...Cas...and _you_..."

"Dude, spit it out."

"You've got feelings for him."

Sam's forehead hit the dashboard when Dean violently slammed on the breaks. When the screech of tires had finally stopped and they were sitting still in the middle of the dark street, Dean turned to look at his little brother who was rubbing his forehead, face contorted in pain.

"_What_?"

"I think you cracked my skull..."

Dean punched him hard in the arm. "I have feelings for Cas?!" He parroted, "Are you kidding?!"

Sam shrugged, his shoulders bunched up around his ears defensively like he thought Dean might hit him again, "What, I thought you knew!"

"No, I didn't know! There is nothing _to_ know! I don't – you know what? We are not having this conversation."

He floored the gas and the tires screeched again as they accelerated, chasing the taillights of the van that had long since disappeared in front of them.

Silence.

"Dean."

"No."

"_Dean_."

The elder hunter remained stubbornly silent until they reached Brian's sprawling shack. When they got there, the doors to the back of the van were thrown open and Cas had clearly been moved into the house already. They found Brian, Miles and the amazon in the kitchen seated around the table with beers in their hands and grim expressions on their faces.

"Where's Cas?" Dean asked the room in general.

"Az is taking care of him." Brian answered.

"But where is he?"

"Az won't let you near him."

"Tell me where Cas is or I'll go find him myself."

That was apparently the wrong thing to say as Miles and the amazon both rose to their feet at his threat, faces hard.

"Sit down you two." Brian ordered wearily. "He's upstairs, second door on the right."

Neither of the boys thanked him and they went upstairs to find the angel. The second door on the right was firmly closed and when Dean tried the handle they found that it was also locked.

"You shitting me?" Dean muttered, pounding his fist against the wood. "Hey, Az, open up."

There was no answer.

"Az, it's Sam and Dean, we just want to see Cas."

"He's resting." The voice was muffled as it drifted through the thick wooden door. "Go away." It wasn't the answer they were looking for.

"I get that. We won't wake him up we just wanna make sure he's ok."

"He's _fine_. I'm taking care of him."

"Dammit, open this damn door right now or I'll pound on it until you do - _then_ who's fault will it be if Cas wakes up?"

"It'd still be yours, Dean." Sam said quietly.

"Shut up."

The door opened and Az was glaring at Dean through narrowed eyes so the hunter shot him a winning smile. "You're incredibly irritating, do you know that?"

"Cas may have mentioned it." Dean shoved his way into the small room and saw Cas laying on his side in the bed, wings fanned out behind him. The rest of his clothing had been removed, as evidenced by the sheet being pulled up only to his hips, and Dean's eyes lingered a few seconds too long, jerking his gaze away when Sam cleared his throat.

"So he'll make a full recovery?" He asked quickly, trying to push away the heat he could feel rising in his cheeks.

"Yes. In a few days he'll be back to normal. Luckily, those morons only managed to take a few of his feathers. I don't want to know who far they would have gone if Cas hadn't been able to reach out to me." Az looked up at them from where he sat cross-legged at the end of the bed by Cas' feet. "I assume you are both sleeping here tonight?"

"We hadn't really thought about it but, I guess, yeah."

Az nodded, his gaze sweeping back over his brother's sleeping form. "If you go talk to Brian he will let you know where you can sleep."

The brothers left the angels then, closing the door softly behind them.

"Feel better?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. Just seeing Cas alive and breathing had helped calm his nerves considerably. As they searched the house for Brian, Dean began to wonder if Cas would come back to the bunker with them and started to plan how to convince the angel if he said no because, now that he had Cas back, the thought of letting him go made his chest feel tight with an emotion Dean refused to identify.

When the sun rose the next morning, Dean rose with it for the first time in a long time and when he stumbled groggily into the kitchen, wiping his eyes and stubbing his toe on an errant chair with a loud curse, Cas was already laughing at him. By the time his sleepy brain registered the lovely sound of the angel's laughter for what it was, he'd been hopping in circles on one foot for several seconds.

"Think that's funny, do you?" Dean asked breathlessly. Breathless because he'd been hopping around on one foot and _not_ because Cas sat at the table in front of the patio doors and the rising sun was shinning crimson through Cas' relaxed wings and behind his head like a rosy halo of early morning beauty.

"Extremely." Quipped the angel, sipping at the mug of tea in his hands.

When he realized that Cas was actually ingesting something he became mildly concerned and a frown marred his features as he took a seat across from him."You're eating now?"

"I occasionally enjoy food; especially after Az showed me how good some things can taste."

Relieved, Dean relaxed into his chair, "So what's your favourite so far?"

Cas stifled a smile and Dean found himself wishing he wouldn't.

"So far ice cream and tea with a generous amount of sugar."

"Both good choices." "Dean chuckled. "I, uh, don't suppose you guys _have_ any ice cream?"

"As a matter of fact, we do."

Cas began to push himself to his feet but Dean held up a hand to stop him.

"Let me."

It took him several minutes to locate bowls and spoons because Cas refused to tell him where they were, taking joy in watching him open every drawer and cupboard in the large kitchen, laughing every time Dean opened another drawer and cursed when it did not contain the items he wanted. Dean, of course, acting angry merely to hear Cas laugh.

Five minutes later, he set a bowl of cookie dough ice cream down in front of Cas with a snarky, "Your highness."

A couple bites in, Dean asked the question that had been eating at him all night. "So how are you feeling?"

"Tired mostly. Drained."

"Does it hurt where he..." Dean motioned to the empty air beside his body.

With a shake of his head, Cas took another bite of ice cream. "Not anymore. Luckily he didn't take that many." He stretched his right wing out and pointed to a small gap in the long flight feathers near the tip where Carlos had ripped them out. The gap was small, but Dean had counted every single feather as they were taken. He knew only seven were missing but it had done nothing to reassure him. "It was the binding that did most of the damage."

He felt guilt seize him but refused to let it take hold. "I'm starting to think I should just give up on chasing this alpha."

A calculating stare was levelled at him as Cas thoughtfully rolled ice cream on his tongue.

"That isn't like you." The angel chose to say a last.

"Well, we've been chasing him for a long time and we've got just as much info as when we started. Which is nothing, by the way. Not to mention I nearly got you seriously injured. Luckily you were strong enough to pray to Az otherwise..." He shook his head. "No wonder you never felt safe around me. Every time you come near me you get hurt."

Cas had remained silent throughout Dean's little self depreciating speech, a spoon full of slowly melting ice cream sitting on the spoon frozen halfway to his mouth, which was now slack with either incredulity or surprise; Dean couldn't tell.

Eventually, Cas lowered the spoon back into the bowl and rubbed at his eyes as if too weary to have this conversation.

"Dean. I _always_ feel safe around you. What made you think I didn't?"

"In the car you said the reason you never showed us your wings is because you didn't feel safe."

"I didn't feel safe because of the situations we were _in_, not because of _you_, Dean."

A long silence hung between them and Dean felt the knot in his stomach loosen a little. "Huh. Well...that's good."

Cas spooned another mouthful of ice cream into his mouth but remained silent, blue eyes flicking over Dean's shoulder as someone entered the kitchen.

"Dean? I didn't know you could _walk_ before noon."

Dean's eyebrows and shoulders lowered simultaneously and a slow grin stretched across Cas' face.

"Shove it, Samantha."

"There's ice cream?" Sam asked, spotting their empty bowls on the table.

Dean opened his mouth to say something nasty, unwilling to admit, even to himself, that his sudden bout of crabbiness was due to Sam interrupting his conversation with Cas. But the angel cut him off with a pointed look. "In the freezer. Bowls are in the cupboard to the left of the sink and spoons are in the drawer under it."

Dean stared at him incredulously. "So you tell _him_ where everything is?"

The angel shrugged and finished off the last of his ice cream.

"So how are you feeling Cas?" Asked Sam.

"Better."

Dean felt an unreasonable amount of satisfaction at the fact that Cas had shared more with him.

"Good. Az says you'll be back up and good to go in a few days."

"Yes, Azreal is very good at predicting such things. He was a...well, what would translate as a doctor by angelic standards in Ariel's garrison. I've known him for centuries and he is very good at what he does. I trust his judgement completely." He looked between the brothers. "I'd ask you to wait to continue tracking the alpha until I am at full strength and can be of more help to you."

"We're not going after the alpha."

"That sounds like a good idea."

The brothers had spoken simultaneously and their heads snapped around to stare at each other once they'd realized they'd disagreed on something.

"What?" Sam was the first to say incredulously. "Dean, we've been after this guy forever. We can't quit now."

"Sam, you said it yourself, this guy is too well protected. We can't get him and I don't want anyone else getting hurt because we don't know when to say enough is enough!"

"If your concern is with my well being, I assure you, I've had worse."

"No, Cas, that doesn't excuse the fact that I got you hurt because I didn't listen to my gut. I was too obsessed with getting this alpha that I let it cloud my judgement."

"Cas is a big boy, Dean, he can make his own decisions. If Cas is with us it's because he _wants_ to be."

"That's true, coincidentally." The angels affirmed lightly.

Dean looked between Sam shovelling ice cream in his stupid face with a smirk and Cas, regarding him with gentle patience and a tiny bit of exasperated annoyance and sighed. "Alright, fine."

Angel and yeti shared a look of triumph and Dean rolled his eyes, standing with a dramatic sigh. "Since we'll be taking a few days off then, I guess I'll be out working on that pile of scrap metal...if anyone needs me."

Cas suddenly groaned. "Sometimes I forget that it's out there." He sighed and stood like the thought of touching the rover actually caused him pain. "That is where I will be also, if anyone asks."

"You really hate that thing, huh?" Sam smirked.

In his patented deadpanned, dry tone, Cas muttered, "I'm fixing it so that I can drive it off a cliff."

Sam nearly spit his ice cream over the table.

Cas and Dean spent the entire day working on the rover, only taking two breaks to eat and one to chase Sam around the garage when the young hunter snuck into the front seat and blared the horn, scaring the hell out of both of them and causing Dean to hit his head on the propped open hood of the jeep.

Now the sun was sinking back down towards the tree tops, angel and hunter were streaked with oil and grease and Sam was sitting cross-legged on a pile of pallets with a book in his lap, looking up occasionally to pelt Mike n' Ikes at his brother.

Finally Dean straightened, bracing his hands on his lower back as he stretched and groaned. "Cas, I'm beat. Let's go have a beer – DAMMIT SAM, STOP THROWING CANDY AT ME!"

The patio doors stood open and a cool breeze blew through the kitchen, jingling a small set of wind chimes hanging in the door.

"Where the hell did the beer go?" Dean cried into the empty fridge. He spun to look accusingly at Sam, who instantly turned defensive.

"I was with you all day, moron!"

They both looked to Cas for an explanation.

"I don't-" the angel started before his nostrils flared, catching the scent of something on the breeze that had just blown through the kitchen. "-oh." He gestured for them to follow as he led the way back out the patio doors and down the trail that led through the woods to the lake.

"What?" Dean asked with exaggerated enthusiasm. "What is it boy? Do you smell beer? Who's a good angel? Show us the beer, come on-"

Cas shoved him hard into the nearest tree, effectively wiping the stupid grin off the hunter's face.

Dean was rubbing his shoulder, a scowl barely concealing the laughter in his eyes. "Ow! Geez, Cas...that almost hurt. You'll have to try again when you're feeling bet – OOF!"

Sam roared with laughter as Dean struggled to get the upper hand after Cas tackled him to the forest floor. As they rolled, wrestling for control, Dean could feel moss and twigs imbedding themselves in his hair and poking into his skin. After a particularly pointy stick jabbed him in the neck, Dean growled and managed to hook his leg around Cas', he twisted at the waist and threw all his weight to one side, effectively rolling them and pinning the angel beneath him.

Cas looked momentarily shocked at the abrupt change in their positions.

"What's the matter angel, can't believe you got bested by a lowly mud monkey?"

He seemed town between which part of Dean's sentence he should tackle first – the blasphemy or the insult. Instead he affixed the scowl on his face and squirmed under the hunter's weight.

"Come on, Cas, you can do better than that!"

"Well if you didn't weigh so much this would be substantially easier."

He blinked down at the angel, indignant, his grip going slack. "Did you just call me fat?!"

In the background, Sam was using the assistance of a tree to stay upright, laughing so hard that tears were streaming down his face.

Suddenly Cas' forehead connected with his in a flash of pain and he rolled to the side with a groan. By the time he got his wits back a few seconds later Cas was sitting, actually _sitting_ cross-legged, on his abdomen, arms crossed over his chest.

"I did not say you were fat. I said you were heavy."

"Same thing!" Dean cried, mentally trying to patch up his wounded ego.

"Not when you consider that muscle weighs _more_ than fat." The angel explained.

Taken aback, the hunter blinked rapidly a few times. "So...so you're saying I'm ripped?"

Their skirmish was temporarily forgotten and Cas frowned down at him. "I don't know what that means."

"When you say someone is ripped it means they have a lot of muscle."

"Of course you have a lot of muscle, you're a hunter, Dean. You're very strong."

Dean ruthlessly squashed the blush he could feel rising in his cheeks, wondering where it had come from. Girls had told him similar things hundreds of times before and it hadn't affected him like this. But with Cas it was different, it seemed. Maybe because the angel wasn't saying it just to get in his pants, the admission was innocent and , in Cas' eyes, perfectly true, so why would he hold back his opinion now when he never had before?

In the distant background, Dean heard Sam mutter something like, 'this is getting weird' and he could hear his brother walking away quickly off towards the lake.

"We should go now if there is any hope of there being beer left." Cas said gravely, his face as serious as if they were discussing the apocalypse.

The hunter made a non committal noise, unwilling to leave behind whatever was happening between him and Cas in that moment. He sat up abruptly, forcing Cas to unfold his legs and settle his knees either side of Dean's hips to keep his balance and, quite suddenly, their faces were very close together.

He watched closely as a tiny frown of confusion knotted the angels brown almost imperceptibly, likely wondering what the hunter was doing. Dean allowed a brief flutter of panic to beat against his ribs, hoped Cas was feeling the same things he was and, if so, the angel even knew what those feelings meant.

He quickly squashed the panic. He'd always been a doer and he was determined to _do this_.

When he leaned up and pressed his lips to Cas', the angel tensed above him, hand coming up to rest on Dean's shoulder. Not pushing him away just...resting there.

Two beats of his pounding heart later and Dean felt Cas responding tentatively and he forgot how to breath. Under the shaded canopy of the tree tops, cushioned by soft mosses and with the sounds of birdsong and wind in the leaves all around them, Dean easily lost himself in the smooth feeling of Cas' lips on his. The hand that had been resting on his shoulder was now gripping his tshirt tightly, the other appearing on the side of his face, thumb swiping over his cheekbone.

Dean's arm snaked around Cas' trim waist, hand settling on his lower back, the other wrapping around the angel's shoulders, pulling their torso's flush against one another and he couldn't be sure if the breathless moan he'd just heard had tumble from Cas' throat or his own.

When he began to feel light headed, Dean reluctantly pulled away, lungs working hard to pump oxygen to his brain, though, unfortunately that's not where the blood was carrying it to. When he opened his eyes, he was met with a beautiful sight.

He doesn't remember grabbing Cas' hair but, judging by the state of it, he obviously had. Cas' lips were red and swollen, making them look even fuller than they already were, and his pupils were blown wide, eating up all but a thin blue ring of the iris.

He considered it a bonus when the angel's cheeks turned pink under his heavy gaze.

"I...I thought you wanted beer." The angel said breathlessly.

"Oh, this is intoxicating in a much better way."

By the time they'd rolled themselves around to the point of dangerous oxygen deprivation and managed to stumble down to the lake shore, the sun had long since set.

A massive bonfire was roaring on the beach, larger than what Dean was sure was safe, and he realized that was what Cas had smelled back in the kitchen. By the looks of things, they'd also found out where all the beer had gone and Dean was willing to bet at least half of it was in his brother's blood stream.

"I think Sam may be intoxicated." Cas observed from Dean's side.

"Yeah? What gave him away?"

Even Cas could hear the sarcasm dripping from his voice and knew not to answer.

Sam had spotted them walking over and had attempted to stand three times before finally managing it by the time they reached them.

"Guys! I found the beer!" Sam announced triumphantly.

Dean casually grabbed his brother by the arm when he tripped over his own feet and nearly went headfirst into the fire. The action went unnoticed by the taller man as he fixed his big brown eyes on Cas.

"You should not drink any more, Sam." The angel admonished grimly, big blue eyes filled with concern as the younger hunter swayed.

But Sam simply smiled, eyes suddenly shinning with unshed tears. "Always looking out for people." He shook his head and pulled an unsuspecting Cas into a bone crushing hug. "You're so great, Cas!"

"Ok, little brother, unhand the angel." Dean order firmly, pulling at Sam's shoulder.

Cas was abruptly released and a look of purest concern settled on Sam's face. "Oh god, I forgot you were hurt! I'm sorry Cas!"

"It's fine." The angel grumbled darkly, tugging his tshirt back to it's proper place.

Sam looked between them for a few seconds, snapping his fingers restlessly before his face lit up and he smacked Dean on the arm. "Oh, hey! I found the beer."

He stared up at his brother. "Yeah, you mentioned that."

In a movement Sam should not have been able to execute so perfectly in his current state, he spun and had his arms around Dean and Cas' shoulder in what was likely intended to be more gentle than the headlock he currently had them in, dragging them towards the bonfire and babbling about how they just _had_ to try the marshmallows, completely oblivious to their fruitless struggles.

They were finally released when they reached the others.

"Where were you two?" Brian asked with red cheeks and a sly grin. "Sam said you were right behind him."

"We were talking." He could feel the side of his face burning from where Cas was staring at him in confusion as if to say 'no we weren't'.

Judging by the looks on everyone's faces, he may as well have said it.

"Uh huh. Sit down. Have a beer."

Sam stumbled over to them with a bottle in each hand and promptly sat (fell) down between them. Dean was as much annoyed by his brother's actions as he was amused by them. Sam didn't get drunk very often but I never failed to be hilarious every time he did.

It wasn't long before Dean had caught up to his brother and he, Sam and Brian were doing a poor job being Queen and butchering Bohemian Rasphody. Dean might have felt embarrassed if making a fool of himself didn't have the added benefit of making Cas howl with laughter. It was the first time he'd ever heard Cas laugh like that – head thrown back, hands on his cramping stomach muscles, eyes watering – he just hoped he wasn't too drunk to remember it in the morning.

Consciousness greeted him with sand in his mouth and sun blaring through his eyelids. With a groan, he rolled onto his back and cracked open his eyes.

He was pretty sure he could feel his pupils contracting into pinpricks and collapsing in on themselves like a dying star exploding inside his head.

He groaned again and rolled back over onto his stomach, burying his face in his arms. A few minutes or hours later he peeked over the tops of his folded arms and saw Sam, dead to the world on his back, a few feet away with amazon using his stomach as a pillow. Brian was face down in the sand by the smouldering fire and he could see Cas and Az sitting across from another with what looked like a chess board between them.

He tried to recall what had happened last night, it had been a longtime since he'd gotten that drunk, but all he came up with was fragments of screaming Queen lyrics and Cas doubled over with laughter.

He smiled at the memory before it was chased away by a rolling wave of nausea. He pushed himself to his hands and knees and began the long, undignified crawl over to the other side of the fire pit to where Cas and his hangover cure sat across from each other.

A few days later and Cas' grace was strong enough for him to hide his wings in whatever dimension he kept them in. Dean was, admittedly sad to see them go and hoped he'd get to see them again soon. He and Cas had had little time to discuss what had happened in the woods and even though Dean knew Cas had been into it, he found himself eager to find out just where the angel stood. He knew Cas was inexperienced when it came to relationships and sex and he was reluctant to go any further with anything until he was sure Cas understood what he was getting in to.

Fortunately or unfortunately Miles had come into the kitchen that morning to announce that the alpha had slipped up and been spotted four hours away in a town called Hillcrest.

They piled into the range rover, the impale and a pickup truck that appeared out of no where and were on the road ten minutes later.

Dean listened intently as Az started a conversation with Cas in the back seat in what was clearly Enochian. The conversation quickly turned into an argument that was growing more and more heated as the minutes ticked by. When Dean looked into the rear-view mirror and saw both angels gesticulating wildly and trying to talk over one another he had to grin.

Even though he did not understand what they were saying, he could tell just from their tone of voices that it wasn't an angry argument but a heated debate between siblings just like he and Sam often had when they disagreed on which movie to watch or which Marvel super hero was coolest.

It was rare moments like this when Dean was reminded that Cas had actual siblings and was part of a family just like everyone else.

He looked over to where Sam was snoring gently with his face smushed against the window and smiled when Cas said something that crossed an invisible line into not ok territory, a line that Az had likely drawn arbitrarily, and Az smacked him.

When they reached the town, the rover at the head of their little caravan pulled violently into the first diner they came to in a spray of loose gravel and Dean reflexively jerked the impala after them, smacking Sam's head against the window, causing him to splutter awake.

"Rise and shine, Sammy!" He yelled with a shit eating grin.

Sam was either still too hung over or in too much pain to come up with a retort and the four climbed out of the car silently, everyone looking to the rover for an explanation as to why they had stopped. The pickup pulled in last just as Brian stepped out of the drivers seat of the rover and slammed the door shut furiously.

"Miserable piece of rat shit!" He spit on the vehicle's front left tire hatefully, which Dean noticed then was flat.

"Miles, get me the damn spare from the truck." Brian bellowed.

But Cas and Az stepped forward. "Let us handle this, Brian. Go get some coffee."

The leader of the group didn't need to be told twice and stomped off to the dinner. Dean spent the next few minutes watching two angels change a tire. Cas unscrewed the bolts as easily as someone turning the dial on a radio and Az chucked the tire to him like a frisbee. What would have taken him twenty minutes and a considerable amount of energy to do the angels had taken care of in minutes.

Once Brian had been sufficiently caffeinated, their convoy was back on the road.

"You sure you're up tot his, Sam?" Dean asked, taking in his brother's pale, hungover face.

"Yeah. Yeah, I'm-"

Cas leaned forward and touched Sam's shoulder gently and his brother surged forward with a gasp.

"Whoa! Hell yeah I'm ready!" He cried exuberantly. "Damn, Cas, it feels like I just had ten shots of espresso!" He rubbed his hands together. "I wanna _kill_ something!"

"Ok, easy there, Rambo," Dean said, half wanting Cas to give him a shot of mojo.

"I think you over did it." Az muttered to Cas.

The alpha, they'd been told, was holed up in an apartment over the only butcher shop in town. Strange but convenient, Dean supposed. The perfect set up for an alpha werewolf that wanted a constant supply of fresh meat. Fortunately for them, one of the alpha's newer recruits had gotten a little too excited and had taken a bite out of the butcher himself. When they'd killed the man to keep him from talking the disappearance had caused quite a stir in the town. Luckily, a local hunter had pieced together the strange stories and rumours and realized what was going on.

Dean shook hands with him a few blocks down the street from the butcher's. He was a burly, rough looking guy that reminded him a lot of Bobby.

"You boys ready?" The man, Gene, asked. They were crammed into an alley, the sound of weapons being cocked and double checked for ammo echoing off the brick walls on either side of them.

"Completely!" Sam exploded, practically vibrating.

They marched down the street like a juggernaut heading to battle and with seven of them storming the apartment, killing off the guards and lackeys was almost disappointingly easy. When they came to what used to be the living room that had been turned into a kind of makeshift throne room with the alpha sitting on the only chair, it was in no way difficult to take him out. A few injuries were dealt to their side in the skirmish and Dean nearly had a heart attack when he saw a hunting knife disappear into Cas' stomach before remembering it wouldn't really cause the angel any damage.

When they were done and the alpha was dead the two angels burned away the bodies and healed the minor injuries and they all made sure no evidence of their passing through remained.

Cas, Az, Dean and Sam, piled back into the impala and followed the taillights of the pickup truck back to the house. Sam seemed to be calmer now that he'd finally gotten to kill something and four hours later the group trudged back into the house, weary and dragging their feet. Some stayed around in the kitchen to have a beer but most disappeared to their respective sleeping places. By midnight Cas, Sam and Dean were left around the kitchen table, Sam was nursing the same beer he'd started with, clearly his hang over from that morning was still fresh in his mind.

"So, Cas," Dean said, finishing off his third beer. "You're coming back to the bunker with us right?"

The angel froze with his own beer halfway to his mouth, blue eyes flicking between the brothers, but both of them stared silently, expectantly, back at him. Slowly, he placed his beer back on the table.

"Of course."

The next morning Dean managed to drag his ass out of bed before noon again and was about to enter the kitchen when he was stopped by the sound of Brian's voice.

"So. When are you leaving?"

There was silence for a moment and then Cas' gravely voice responded.

"Today. How did you know?"

"I see the way you two idiots look at each other. And Sam 'loves you to bits'. He told me half a dozen times last night."

He heard Cas huff a laugh and he decided to make his presence known, strolling into the kitchen to clap Brian on his massively muscular shoulder and boisterously asked, "What's for breakfast?"

After Cas had gotten a hug from everyone – the amazon had lifted him right off the ground – Az had walked him away from everyone else and they had talked for a long time and hugged for longer but finally had broken apart and Cas had climbed into the back of the impala and they were finally off.

When the house was behind them, Dean saw Cas rubbing his chest in the rear view mirror as if to dispel and ache there.

"You ok, Cas?" He asked carefully.

"That was more difficult than I thought it would be." When the boys shared a frown he elaborated. "Saying goodbye."

"Well, on the bright side you get to hang out with us now." Dean said with a grin.

He got a small smile in return. "That is true."

"I'm really glad you're with us again, Cas." Sam said, turning in his seat. "I really missed you."

Before Cas could respond, Dean butted in with a sly grin and a wink in the rear view. "And you _know_ how happy I am to have you back."

His sass was rewarded with a full blown grin and a blush and Dean decided this was the best day he'd had in a long time.

When they got back to the bunker it was nearing supper time and Dean showed Cas to his room immediately. The angel threw his bag on the bed, glanced around with an appreciative eye and then turned back to Dean, stepping well into his personal space. He laid a hand over Dean's heart and slowly pushed it up his chest, around the back of his neck and then ghosted his fingers over the shell of the hunter's ear as he tilted his head up to hip gently at his chin.

"And..." his thumb swept over Dean's cheek bone, "...where is _your_ room?"

Dean was the first to shove Cas into the wall – hard, he knew the angel could take it – and he was the first to smash their mouths together. He hands tangled in Cas' hair and slid in the space between his shirt and skin like a snake in the grass. Their tongues tangled, danced, tasted each other and then moved on to ears, necks and collar bones desperately.

The short walk down the hall to Dean's room was made longer by the fact that neither of them were willing to separate and so they were forced to stumble awkwardly along. Although it also didn't help that Dean kept stopping to pin Cas to the wall so that he could trail kisses down his neck and run his hands over the heated skin under the other man's thin shirt.

When they finally did reach his room, he grabbed a fist full of Cas' tshirt, hauled him through the door and pushed him down on the bed, crawling on top of him before the angel even had time to process what was happening.

When he roughly pulled the neck of Cas' tshirt aside and latched on to his throat, Dean took a moment to reflect on the fact that, that very morning, he'd been planning to wait on doing anything else like this with Cas before they had a chance to properly talk about it. He then conceded that shit changes and he's a pro at rolling with the punches and besides, he was pretty sure Cas was a hundred percent ok with what was happening right now.

As if on cue, a groan rumbled up from deep in the angel's chest when Dean swiped his tongue over Cas' collar bone and he felt the vibration of it where his lips were pressed to Cas' heated skin, sending a shock right to his dick.

He pushed his hand under Cas' shirt again and lightly let his fingers ghost over a nipple, because _damn_ he needed Cas to make more noises like that.

The angle gasped and arched up into his hand and he finally released his throat long enough to pull off his and Cas' shirts before reclaiming his spot and savouring the feel of skin on skin.

He felt Cas' hands grab at his belt and he used it o pull Dean's hips down and grind them together. The sudden, wonderful friction tore a cry from Dean's throat and he buried his face into Cas' neck, breathing hard, his hips grinding down rhythmically on their own.

The angel beneath him was making breathy, wanton noises, hips pushing up just as eagerly as Dean's were pushing down and the hunter wasn't sure how much longer he could last.

"Wait, wait, wait." He breathed into Cas' neck, clamping his hands down on Cas' hips to still their movement.

The angel growled in his ear, clearly disagreeing with their sudden stillness.

"Damn Cas, you're gonna make me come in my pants like a teenager."

Before he could properly process the movement he was on his back and Cas was sliding over him, pressing their chests together deliciously but he had his hips angled up so that the bits Dean wanted to connect the most stayed maddeningly separated and, despite the fact that he'd just told Cas to wait, Dean found himself wishing they were much more naked.

"Sorry." Cas purred into his open mouth right before sealing their lips and dropping his hips and through the onslaught of wonderful sensations, Dean found himself thinking that a virginal angel of the Lord had _no business_ being so sensual and intoxicating.

His right hand worked itself into Cas' hair ad the other trailed down his back, settling in the dip in his spine to push them closer together. There was a sudden change in the energy of the room, Dean was almost too far gone to notice it, but when Cas abruptly sat up and left them separated, he opened his eyes.

"Fuck, Cas, you're beautiful." Dean praised in a gasp, eyes wide with awe and skin flushed with arousal.

Cas' wings stretched the length of the room, flexing powerfully, tips brushing the walls before he pulled them back and allowed Dean's hands ghosted over his sides and then up his chest; when his fingers grazed his nipples, Cas' head tilted back and his wings flared, the feathers fluffing out and standing at attention like goosebumps before settling again.

They needed to both be naked. Like, five minutes ago. He tugged at the waist of Cas' jeans with a muttered, "Off!" and the rest of their clothes instantly disappeared and they were finally touching in all the right places. Dean's hand went straight to Cas' weeping cock and, moving on instinct alone, his other hand buried itself in the soft feathers of the angel's right wing.

Cas was immediately overloaded, the shock of the double stimulation ripping a strangled scream from his throat as his head snapped back, eyes scrunched shut, teeth bared in a snarl and he leaned forward, using the headboard to hold himself up as Dean mercilessly pumped his cock.

"Come on, angel. Come for me." He tugged gently as Cas' feathers and was rewarded with the sound of his name escaping Cas' throat in a strangled moan and the sound of the headboard splintering under the angel's grip.

His stokes sped up and he tightened his grip, feeling the angel tensing above him, mouth open and panting for air.

"That's it, Cas, come on."

He pulled his hand from the feathers and moved it around behind his ass and the pad of his middle finger pressed firmly against his entrance.

"Dean!" Cas cried.

And then the angel was coming hard, back arching, eyes rolling, wings flaring and a litany of what Dean was pretty sure were Enochian curse words tumbling from his lips.

When Cas collapsed forward on to him, arms folded between them and face buried in the hunter's neck, breathing hard, Dean snuck his hand up and darted his tongue out to taste. His comment of 'not bad' died in his throat when he felt Cas' warm tongue licking lazily at the side of his neck and he noticed the angel's wings had fallen to rest on either side of them like a cocoon.

He rolled them so that Cas was on his back again, his own need aching painfully, and he nudged Cas' knees apart, feeling an intoxicating surge of power when the angel complied easily an spread his legs. He fetched his lube from the bedside table, settled between Cas' legs again and thoroughly coated his fingers,

"Ready?" He asked, although he could see that the angel was already getting hard again.

At Cas' nod he slowly eased a finger inside, stopping when the angel squirmed at the intrusion. He looked up to see him biting his lip, eyes closed and head thrown back. When Cas settled, Dean pushed his finger the rest of the way into the angel's tight heat, nearly coming just at the thought of burying his cock in the angel.

So caught up in watching the rhythmic slide of his finger in and out of Cas' hole that he almost didn't hear the angel's pleas.

"Dean...more...please..."

He grinned lasciviously and added a second finger, feeling another surge of power at the sight of the angel on his back, writhing on his fingers. He added a third, twisting, scissoring, thrusting until Cas was groaning loudly, hips undulating instinctively.

When he felt Cas was stretched enough he removed his hand and liberally coated his dripping cock.

Cas had looked up blearily at the loss of his fingers and his blue eyes widened slightly when they spotted Dean's manhood hanging heavy between his legs.

"Sure about this?" Dean asked again, catching the slightly apprehensive look on the angel's face. He knew he was above average in size and had seen that look on bed partners' faces before.

Cas nodded and Dean moved up so that he was hovering over the angel, had his hands planted either side of Cas' head, and leaned down to kiss him deeply. While he knew Cas could heal himself, he could still feel pain and the last thing Dean wanted to do was hurt the man that was putting his trust in him.

He pulled back long enough to reach a hand between them and guide his cock, pushing gently into Cas' slick hole. Any doubts he had about Cas not being ready slid away when the angel's legs fell open and he canted his hips up to ease Dean's glide.

"Ohhh fuck..." The hunter groaned, sheathed to the balls and having to take a moment to collect himself and slow his breathing. The feel of Cas, hot and tight and wet around him was overwhelming and he groaned again into the crook of his neck just to release..._something_.

Cas's fingers carded through his hair gently as he gathered his wits until he finally felt in control enough to move without coming instantly.

The slow slide of his cock against Cas' pulsing walls had Dean biting his tongue and Cas gripping his hair painfully and when he drove back in Cas gave a satisfying startled sound of pleasure that had Dean grinning because at least he wasn't the only one about to loose his mind with pleasure.

He built a slow rhythm, anling his hips experimentally until Cas jerked and bucked beneath him, eyes going wide when he was hit with an intense wave of please.

"Dean!" The angel gasped his name like a prayer. "Dean, please...please!"

"I got you, angel. I got you. Just let go, Cas."

Pressure was building and Dean's hips were snapping, rhythmic and brutal and Cas' hands were in his hair again and their lips were moving together and before he knew what hit him Dean's orgasm was crashing over him.

Cas tore his mouth away and they buried their faces in each others' necks, the angel tensing, hooking his legs over Dean's thighs and drawing him deeper and deeper, walls clenching around him tightly, milking him for everything he had until his shaking arms could support him no more and the hunter collapsed down on top of his angel.

After a moment, Dean rolled to lay on his back beside, their side pressed together tightly, soft warm feathers against his skin.

"So," He panted, "How was your first time?"

Cas laughed, something that was quickly becoming one of Dean's favourite sounds, and rolled to press a kiss to the hunter's shoulder. "All I can say is we'll be doing that again. And again. And again."

Dean laughed then too, pulling the angel out of bed and towards the shower.

An impatient sigh hissed past Sam's teeth, knowing that the two bowls of spaghetti sitting on the counter were getting cold and wondering how damn long it could take to show someone to their bedroom. He was about to go and search for them when a strangled scream echoed through the halls of the bunker and he froze halfway out of his chair, stomach sinking.

That wasn't a bad scream.

Sam looked back at the bowls of spaghetti, there was no longer any steam rising off them, and he rolled his eyes in the realization that he was no officially a third wheel and that perhaps he could convince Kevin or Charlie to visit the bunker because he damn well knew that those two would be spending the next two weeks, at least, in each others' beds.

* * *

I am looking for helpful, constructive criticism on how I may be able to better my writing. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.


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